EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer returns home to conclude its non-conference schedule Sunday at 3 p.m. when the Screaming Eagles host Purdue University Fort Wayne at Strassweg Field.
 
USI Women's Soccer is also hosting Alumni Weekend on Sunday, welcoming back former Screaming Eagles. Admission to Sunday's match is free courtesy of ProRehab. The contest can also be seen with a subscription to ESPN+.
 
USI (2-5-1) and Purdue Fort Wayne (1-5-1) meet for the fourth consecutive season on Sunday. The Mastodons lead the all-time series 3-2-0 and have won three straight in the series since the head-to-head matchup was renewed in 2022 when USI made the jump to Division I. Purdue Fort Wayne has won each of the last three meetings by a score of 1-0. The early series history dates to 1999-2000, when Purdue Fort Wayne was a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference alongside USI.
 
The Screaming Eagles head into Sunday's tilt on a three-match unbeaten streak after recording back-to-back wins and then a tie most recently last Sunday at Bellarmine University. USI and Bellarmine battled to a 0-0 draw. Despite being outshot by the Knights 21-7, the Eagles' defense limited Bellarmine to only four shots on goal and blocked 11 shots. The scoreless result marked USI's third defensive shutout in a row.
 
As part of the unbeaten and shutout streak, USI's defense has held the opposition scoreless for the last 286 minutes heading into Sunday. Meanwhile, the Screaming Eagles have outscored their opponents 4-0 during that stretch. USI has scored eight goals over the last five matches.
 
Earlier this week, USI Women's Soccer swept all three Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week awards. Senior forward Emerson Grafton was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her USI career after scoring twice against Valparaiso University on September 4. Sophomore defender Emma Schut was tabbed OVC Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead USI's defense to the recent shutout streak while making key stops and tackles at left back. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Markland earned OVC Goalkeeper of the Week for the second week in a row after helping USI register three consecutive clean sheets, along with making some key saves last week.
 
Offensively, Grafton is tied with fellow senior forward Peyton Murphy for the team lead in scoring with four points each. Grafton has two goals, while Murphy has a goal and two assists. Seven different Eagles have scored this season. Grafton also paces USI with 18 shots, which ranks fourth in the OVC, and six on goal, which is good for the top 10 in the OVC. As a team, USI is third in the OVC in goals scored (8), second in shots (92), and in the top five in shots per game (11.5) and shots on goal (32).
 
In goal, Markland has lowered her goals against average to 1.91 after notching the three straight shutouts. Markland's career total is 11 solo clean sheets. She ranks eighth in USI history in career shutouts. The keeper also has 17 saves in seven starts this season.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne also plays its non-conference finale on Sunday against USI before starting Horizon League play. The Mastodons enter Sunday's match on a two-game skid following a 1-0 loss last time out on Wednesday against Ball State University and a 2-0 loss last Sunday against Eastern Illinois University.  In Wednesday's match against Ball State, it was a back-and-forth scoreless contest until the Cardinals scored the game-winning goal in the 64^th minute.
 
Statistically, junior forward Morgan Gallagher leads the Mastodons with six points off two goals and two assists this season. Five other players have scored this season, including the team's leading shot taker in freshman forward Daisy Moody. Moody has a team-high 18 shots and nine on target. Between the posts, graduate goalkeeper Jordan Imes has made all seven starts this season, posting a 1.81 GAA with 24 saves and two shutouts.
 
After Sunday, the Screaming Eagles will next set their sights on the start of conference play in the OVC. USI will kick off the OVC season next Saturday, September 20, on the road at the University of Tennessee at Martin.